Air conduit system for buildings



May 30, 1939.

H. DURST MIR CONDUIT SYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS Original Filed Oct. 15, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l \\\\\\\-\\TYTY INVENTOR.

Mimi-a2;

ATTORNEY.

y 30, 1939- H. E. DURST Y 2,160,132

AIR CONDUIT SYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS Original Filed Oct. 15, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

\ ATTORNEY.

Patented May 30, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR CONDUIT SYSTEM FOR BUILDINGS Henry E. Durst, Philadelphia, Pa.

1 Application October 15, 1935, Serial No. 45,062

Renewed May 17, 1938 My invention is either commercial 7 Claims.

an air conduit system for building or dwelling houses having air-heating or air-conditioning apparatus therein including an air which the ducts for the air heating or air conditioning apparatus to the rooms of the building portion of their length handling unit and in air flowing away from the encased for at least a the means for returnare in ing the air to such apparatus. By so encasing the outgoing ducts in a duit system, no heat outgoing ducts to building in which the portion the room or of the return conneed be wasted from the portion of the furnace or air conditioning apparatus is located, such apparatus usually being in the cellar of little heat is required.

'my invention, the portion of for the air' returning the building where very In a preferred form of the conduit system to the air handling unit which lies immediately adjacent the air handling unit and extending some distance therefrom is made in the form of a chamber below the floor immediately above the air-heating or air-conditioning apparatus, and the portion of the conduit system for leading the air away from the airhandling unit is entirely encased within said chamber so far as it lies below the level of said floor immediately above the air-handling unit. Usually the air-heating or air-conditioning apparatus is in the cellar of the building and in this ber is suspended from tance so that a conduit for outgoing beneath such joists where necessary,

within said chamber.

SlliflOlBl'l-t disair can pass but still lie l he portions of thesystem the joists a for returning air to the air-handling unit which lie beneath the floor immediately above said unit but outside of said chamber purposely run between two joists. serving for the return By providing said chamber of air to the air-handling unit and embracing therein a considerable .por-

tion of the ceiling sur face of the floorimmediately above the unit, all interference between outgoing and return conduits is avoided, the outgoing conduits lying entirely within such chamber until reaching th e point where they pass upwardly above the level of the floor immediately above the air-handling unit. By the arrange-- ment of such chamber unit which serves as a I am able to make very material savings adjacent the intake of the portion of the air return. in the 'cost of installing an air conduit system for airheating found, moreover, that and air-conditioning apparatus. I have I may do away with the ordinary metal conduit on the return side of the air conduit system for those portions of the return conduits which .lie between vertical frame members of the building, the studs being used to form two sides of the vertical run of the air return conduit, the lathe-plaster wall another side. and the fourth side being formed by a sheet of Cellotex or other suitable material against the outer weather wall material of the building. In case of a house having heavy paper furring between the weather wall and the studs, such furring is sufficient to form the fourth wall of the vertical run of a return air conduit, no additional layer or sheeting being necessary in such case.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings, one form thereof which is at present preferred, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized, and that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

1 Referring to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure l is a perspective view' of a building equipped with an air conduit system in accordance with my invention, parts of the building being broken away for purposes of illustration and the air conduit system being illustrated somewhat diagrammatically.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view through the building illustrated in Figure 1, the section of Figure 2 being taken on the line 2-'-2 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the building shown in Figures 1 and 2, taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of the building shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 isa fragmentary view on an enlarged scale illustrating the construction of the chamber which forms a common return section for a portion of the conduit system illustrated.

Figure 5a is a fragmentary sectional view, on an'enlarged scale, of a horizontal run of a return conduit taken on the line looking in the direction of the arrows.

' Figure 6 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale illustrating in detaila vertical run of a re- Ba-fia of Figure l,'

turn conduit, taken on line 6-6 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In many air-heating and air-conditioning systems, an air-handling unit is employed having means for drawing the air toward the air-heating or air-conditioning apparatus, and for forcing it out again towards the different rooms of the building. In the arrangement illustrated, the building I has an air-heating or air-conditioning apparatus I2 which, as usual, contains an air-handling unit such as a motor driven fan (not shown) for drawing the air toward the apparatus I2 and for afterward forcing it away therefrom. The air conduit system I4, which is illustrated, is a particular embodiment of my invention and is composed in general of two parts or sections, one for leading the air away from the apparatus I2 and the other for conducting it towards such apparatus. In the ordinary case, the air-heating or air-conditioning apparatus I2 is placed in the basement or otherwise as low in the building as possible. The means for leading the air away from the apparatus I2 in general runs beneath the ceiling of the floor immediately above such apparatus, commonly the first floor of the building, and branches out from the air-handling unit in various directions to make connections with riser ducts in the outer and/or interior walls,

of the building. As illustrated, air flows away from theapparatus I2 in an outgoing section I5 including several large ducts I6, I6, which may branch to form headers I8, I 8, connecting with and delivering to horizontal conduit sections 26, which lead to and connect with risers 22, 22, arranged to deliver the air above either the first, second or other upper floors of the building. However, duct I6, if conditions render it 'convenient, may branch directly into the conduits 20.

The air that flows toward the apparatus I 2, enters vertical conduit portions 24, 24, and is thereby conducted down to a level immediately below the floor which is just over the apparatus I2. Connecting with the down-comers or conduit runs 24 at their lower ends are air conducting means which may be in the form of individual ducts or conduits leading toward appa-' ratus I2 or may in part be a large common chamber 26 covering the under side of a large portion of the floor over the apparatus I2.

The bottom 21 of the chamber 26 is suspended from the floor above the apparatus I2, and may be of any suitable material such as plaster, board or metal. Where the floor construction involves rafters 28, the bottom 21 is conveniently suspended from such rafters by bolts 29, as illustrated in Figure 5. In such case, the chamber includes the spaces between the rafters, throughout the portion of the floor subtended by the bottom 21. However, as the ducts l6, headers I8, or ducts 20 may either or all have a dimension transverse to the rafters 28, the bottom 21 is suspended a sufficient distance from the rafters 28 so that the conduit members l6, I8 and 20 can run beneath the rafters as may be needed while still enclosed within the chamber 26. The section I5 of the conduit system I4 for air going out from' the apparatus I2 is encased in the chamber 26 as far as all points in such outgoing section lie below the floor including rafters 28; that is to say, the floor immediately above apparatus I2. By this arrangement, the conduits for the outgoing air are insulated from the space in which the apparatus I2 itself is placed, usually the cellar of the building, and the undesirable transfer of heat units between such outgoing section and such space is thereby in great measure prevented. Furthermore it will be evident from Figures 1 and 2 that the conduit section I5 for the outgoing air may run in any direction heneath the rafters 28 and for the full width of the building without any interference from conduit means for conducting the air toward the apparatus I2, the chamber 26 serving as a common return section for all the down-comer conduits for the return air. The outgoing section I5, however, does not materially interfere with the flow of air returning to the air-handling unit through chamber 26 because all elements of such section I5 are spaced somewhat from the bottom 2'! of chamber 26 and chamber 26, moreover, includes the spaces between the rafters 28 which lie entirely above all portions of the outgoing section I5.

Some of the vertical down-comers 24 for the returning air enter the chamber 26 directly at one or another place along the edge thereof, while down-comers, the lower ends of which do not strike the edge of the chamber 26 are connected therewith by means of horizontal runs 24a, which preferably lie between a pair of adjacent rafters 28. In Figure 5, I have illustrated horizontal run 24a of metal conduit. It is often permissible, however, to omit the metal duct and employ only the joists 28, the floor 25 and the ceiling 33 beneath joists 28 for the four walls of the conduit run between the lower end of a down-comer and the chamber 26. Such a form of conduit run or section is illustrated in Figure 5a.

' The vertical riser ducts 22, due to the fact that for a considerable portion at least of the year they will be required to carry air for heating the rooms of the building, are made in the usual way of metal conduit extending between a pair of adjacent frame members 30 of the building. Such construction is commonplace and is not illustrated.

However, the vertical down-comer ducts 24, having never to transport heated air, I find can be formed solely, or nearly so, of the material used in the building structure proper. Such a down-comer duct 24 is illustrated in Figure 6, with two side walls of the duct being formed of the vertical frame members 30, 30. and the inner wall of the duct being formed of the lathe and plaster wall 3| of the room, while the outer wall of the duct is-formed by the heavy paper furring 32 ordinarily employed between the vertical frame members and the weather wall of the building in clap board or brick veneer buildings. In case no such furring is provided, as may be the case in certain brick or stone buildings, it then becomes necessary to place a sheet of Celotex or other material somewhat impervious to the air against the weather wall of the building between the uprights 30 to form the outer wall of the duct 24.

Down-comers within an interior Wall of a building may also employ upright frame members of the house as two walls of the conduit. In such case, both the other walls of the down-comers are of lathe and plaster instead ofv only one of the other walls as in Figure 6.

Having thus described the invention. what is hereby claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an air conduit system for buildings having air-heating or air-conditioning apparatus in cluding an air-handling unit, means for delivering air from said unit to the building rooms,

means lying within a means for withdrawing air from the building rooms and-for returning the so withdrawn air to said unit, a portion only of said delivering portion of said withdrawing and returning means and the said means branching beyond said portions so that the room terminals of said means are spaced from each other and are disposed at different remotely located parts of each of the rooms to be heated or air conditioned and are exclusive of each other so that neither of said room-terminals embrace any part of the duct leading to the other roomterminal. J

2. In an air conduit system for buildings having air-heating or air-conditioning apparatus therein including an air-handling unit, means for delivering air from said unit to rooms of the building at different and means for withdrawing airfrom rooms of the building at different levels from that of said unit and for returning the so withdrawn air to said unit, the portions only of said delivering means which are substantially adjacent the intake of said unit lying within a common portion of said returning means and the said means branching beyond said portions, the room terminals of said means being spaced from each other at different remotely located parts of each of the rooms to be air heated or air conditioned and being exclusive of each other, and neither of said room-terminals embracing any part of the duct leading to the other room-terminal. L

3. In an air conduit system for buildings having air-heating or air-conditioning apparatus including an air-handling unit, the combination of means for conducting air awayfrom said unit to rooms of. the building at levels above that of said unit, said means including portions substantially at the level of the inlet and outlets of said unit, and means for conducting air from rooms of the building at levels above that of said unit to said unit, the portions only of said means for conducting air away from saidunit and which lie substantially adjacent the outlet 'of said unit being encased within a portion of said means for conducting air to said unit and the said means branching beyond said portions, the room terminals of said means being spaced from each other at difierent remotely located parts of each of the rooms to'be air'heated or air conditioned and being exclusive of each other and neither of said room-terminals embracing any part of the duct leading to the other room-terminal.

4. In an air conduit system for a building having a floor, joists supmrting said floor,and' airheating or air-conditioning apparatus below said floor and joists including an air-handling unit,

levels from that of said unit,

the combination with said joists of a ceiling spaced below the bottom of said joists and forming with said floor a chamber immediately above the air-handling unit and including spaces between said joists, said chamber having a connection conducting air therefrom to the air inlet of said air-handling unit, and conduit means for leading said air away from the outlet of said air-handling unit enclosed within said chamber as to the portion lying below said floor.

5. An air conditioning system for buildings including an air-handling unit, means for withdrawing air from the building rooms and for returning the sb-withdrawn air to said unit, a conduit for carrying air from said unit ture higher than the aforesaid withdrawn air; portions only of said last-mentioned conduit lying within portions of said withdrawing and returning means and the room terminals of the withdrawing and returning means and of said conduit being spaced from each other at diiierent remotely located parts of each of the rooms and being exclusive of each other and neither of said room-terminals embracing any part of the duct leading to the other room-terminal.

6. In an air-conditioning system for buildings, an air tempering unit, means for withdrawing air from the building rooms and for returning the so withdrawn air to said unit, a conduit for conveying tempering air from said unit; a portion only of saidlast mentioned conduit lying within a portion of said withdrawing and returning means and the room terminals of the withdrawing and returning means and of said conduit being spaced from each other at difierent remotely located parts of each of the rooms to be air tempered and being exclusive of each other and neither of said room-terminals embracing any part of the duct leading to the other room-terminal.

'7. In an air-conditioning system for buildings, ,an air heating unit, means for withdrawing air from the building rooms and for returning the so withdrawn air to said unit, a conduit for conveying heated gas from said unit; a portion only 01 said last-mentioned conduit lying within a portion of said withdrawing and returning means, means for supplying air from said unit to the building rooms, and the room-terminals of the withdrawing and returning means and of said room-supplying means being spaced from each other'at difierent remotely located parts of each of the rooms and being exclusive of each other and neither of said room-terminals embracing any part of the terminal.

HENRY E. DURST.

at a temperaduct leading to the other room- 

